Sanford Airport Parking
Sanford airport is called “international”, but it’s really tiny and easy to navigate. The biggest thing you have to watch out for, is the parking situation. We once parked in the very first parking lot (which has a shuttle bus) because we assumed it would be the cheapest and said “long term.” It ended up being $17/day! The parking garage next to the terminal was the same price. So either check online, or look at the signs carefully. We now park just past the parking garage in the “economy lot.” which was $13/day last time I was there in June 2021.
Checking In
On to the airport. Once you get in, you’ll see that the check in area is very small. There is a Starbucks by the baggage claim, but of course you can’t take drinks past security.
They then put a Starbucks next to Cheeseburger-Cheeseburger, in terminal B, but it closed during COVID and has not reopened.
Security
Security has never been terribly crowded at the Sanford Airport. But that being said, when there are multiple flights leaving at the same time, security can become easily overwhelmed because they usually just have one or two lanes open. I have TSA Pre, so I by-pass the cattle-stalls, but I still have to use one of the 2 lanes, so it can be slow. There has only been one time when we had to wait more than about 10-15 minutes in the cattle-stalls. My son doesn’t have TSA Pre, so he has to wait in line.
Terminals
Once out, you go to the terminal for your gate number, either left or right. Terminal B has the higher gate numbers and, in my opinion, better food. It’s not as big, but has a bookstore (Hudson News), a bar and food.
Terminal A, is on the right and is the “international” terminal, but nothing ever seems to be open. There’s a nice restaurant there that closed during COVID and hasn’t reopened yet. They have burgers, chicken fingers and fries and a large bar area for drinks. The seating area in Terminal A is huge! It’s one big room with plenty of seating including massage chairs. Lots of shopping, but I have never seen any of those shops open. Maybe they only open when there is an actual international flight.
You can walk freely back and forth between terminals which only takes 5 minutes, so if you don’t like what you see in one terminal, just go to the other one to eat or drink. Sitting in Terminal A is easier because it’s so large and roomy.
I prefer flying out of Sanford, to Orlando International Airport, because it’s so easy to get in and out of and it’s always less crowded. Orlando security has gotten worse and worse over the years. Once I had to wait 45 mins in the security line, and that’s when I got TSA Pre.
Bon Voyage!
